


Our Hearts on the Line

by Emperor_Hulkling



Category: Marvel (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: All of them are of age!, Angst, Billy is sweet, Fluff, M/M, Teddy and Billy are made for each other, Teddy is the sweetest cinammon role ever, Thor likes Asgardian Billy alot more than he should, Tommy is the best brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:02:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26617867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emperor_Hulkling/pseuds/Emperor_Hulkling
Summary: Billy is head over heels in love with gorgeous Teddy Altman. They are already close, but when they almost kiss, Teddy pulls away and ignores Billy from then on. After the incident that leaves Billy heartbroken, they go on a mission with their team. Both of them are immediately drawn to each other again, but Teddy pulls away a second time. Just as Billy loses all hope, Thor comes in and saves the day and catches the eye of the young hero called "Asgardian."Can Billy decide between Thor and Teddy? Why won't Teddy let Billy get closer?Read to find out ;)
Relationships: Billy Kaplan & Tommy Shepherd, Teddy Altman/Billy Kaplan, brief Billy Kaplan/ Thor
Comments: 14
Kudos: 15





	1. Your Love Is Like Thunder

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't proofread yet. Be gentle. I just recently fell in love with these two dorks again, and I'm so in love with both of them. I'm totally in love with CrisArt and their illustrations and saw one where Thor is very interested in Billy, and this developed from there. (Look at their amazing work if you haven't seen it already. Here's the link to the Billy/Thor image and their DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/cris-art/art/Commission-10-369234821)  
> Unfortunately, this is a pretty quiet fandom, but the talent in this community makes up for it (CRisArt, Khirshah (I Love your works!!!), so I'd appreciate you giving kudos and commenting because I want to talk abut my new favorite babies.  
> I also know that the timeline in this here is muddy af, but I really wanted Billy to be of age when meeting Thor. So Billy is still known as Asgardian and they have already found Tommy, but Teddy's mom ist still alive and Billy and Teddy are not together yet.  
> so, that's enough from me.  
> Have fun :)

The thing that Billy would say about this day in hindsight was that they hadn't assumed that their mission would get out of hand as fast as it did.  


The Young Avengers had been called to destroy nothing more than the remaining battalion of Doom-bots that was wreaking havoc in the streets of Brooklyn, but when they arrived, they had been immediately confronted by a whole army of the deadly machinery.  


"Here we go again," groaned Kate, who seemingly couldn't care less about the intimidating army of killer-robots and set off instantly, killing two of them with swift arrows to their central control systems.  


"It's like the bad guys never learn," Tommy replied, not one to leave his girlfriend hanging didn't take long either, bringing three of the machines down with well-placed kicks that were just barely perceptible to the naked eye.  


Eli and Nate were still fighting over their plan of attack as they followed Kate and Tommy onto the battlefield. Cassie had turned herself larger second by second, stumping a sizable chunk of robots with the sole of her foot.  


Off to the side was Billy, his eyes glowing with ethereal blue light as he frantically mumbled to himself, repeating the same array of barely intelligible words over and over again.  


"I don't want to pressure you, little bro, but we could need your help right about now!" Tommy called out as he whipped past his brother and his protector.  


"He's doing his best, Tommy! "was Teddy's strained reply as he stood in front of Billy protectively, guarding the smaller boy who was especially vulnerable to attacks of their enemies since the spell demanded all of his concentration, which was already not very much on his best of days.  


The blue light that enveloped Billy's eyes sparked outwards suddenly, surrounding him as he ascended from the dirty street. The wooden staff he held in his hand crackled with energy as the raw power forced its way through the rough grain.  


"You're doing great, Bee," Teddy said softly, his gaze centered on the other boy, even as he savagely ripped apart a doom-bot that was unfortunate enough to come into Billy's general vicinity.  


Billy turned to Teddy, a wry grin on his lips, his blue eyes flickering brown for a second.  
"You sound like one of your moms' self-help books."  


It sounded a lot harsher than Billy had intended too, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted, since since he was so grateful for Teddy's support. So he cringed inwardly, hoping that the other would understand that there was no malice in his words.  


Teddy smiled brightly in return, his dimples showing even in his Hulkling form, and Billy could see in his eyes that he understood. Teddy always understood, and Billy felt the now familiar pang of desire and longing for the other boy. Needless to say, his concentration began to waver instantly.  


"The books helped, didn't they. Now focus, Bee, you can do it." Teddy replied, his incredible blue eyes focusing on Billy.  


Billy felt a sense of calm wash over him as he listened to his crush for more than two years, and he returned to repeating his spell.  


Finally, the blue spheres of solid yet translucent energy spread from Billy's shape to the other team members and enclosed them in a protective armor of blue light.  


When Billy's spell had reached everyone, the boy grinned and let out a relieved sigh. The blue glow that had surrounded him disappeared, and with that, his ability to levitate.  
He struggled in the air for a fee seconds, trying to regain control of his powers, before he tumbled towards the street. Before he could connect with the ground, though, Teddy had caught him with his giant muscular arms.  


Billy blushed deeply as he was pressed into Teddy's incredibly defined chest.  


"Hey there, "was all Teddy said, a soft smile playing on his lips as the sun formed a messy halo around his blond hair and illuminated his metal earrings.  


"Hey, "Billy returned, suddenly breathless. 

They looked at each other for a moment, Billy's cheeks turning pink. Teddy's eyes followed the spray of colour as it travelled down Billy's neck. 

„I got literal chills from your spell just now!“ Teddy said then to stop his mind from wandering, a smile playing on his lips as he forced his eyes away from where they had traiterously gone. 

„Would you say that your chills were multiplying?“ Billy asked innocently, who, to Teddy’s relief, seemingly hadn‘t noticed his hungry gaze. 

„Oh, yes!“ Teddy returned, his smile widening as he picked up on Billy’s reference. „I had so many chills that I was losing control. The power you were supplying, it was...“ 

„Electrifying?“ Billy finished and they both giggled happily, the chaos around them nothing more than a quiet buzz that they could easily ignore. Billy was still in Teddy's strong grip and he felt so safe. 

This was nice, perfect even...nothing like the awkwardness and heartbreak of last week. Teddy was just so beautiful and warm and nice and...  


"Would you...Would you like to go to the movies with me, after this is over, of course. " Billy mumbled, before his brain had caught up with his traitorous mouth, pointing to the mess happening on the busy street behind them.  


Teddy's smile faded, and silence etched between them as the robots faded into the background.  
"I can't...I have...I‘m sorry.."Teddy stuttered after a long moment, but Billy held his gloved hand up, trying desperately not to cry.  


"All you ever do is apologize. I get it! Billy spit out, and he wanted to say more, but Eli's angry voice stopped them.

"Stop talking, more fighting! "Eli shouted, ripping the two heroes and the incredibly awkward moment apart. Billy should thank him for that later.  


"Billy, I'm sorry... "Teddy repeated weakly and ignored Eli's growing agitation as he reached out for the sorcerer.  


But Billy had already turned around abruptly, willing everything in himself to force his powers to do what he intended them to do for once.  


“TELEPORTTELEPORTTELEPORT!!“

Why had he even bothered to ask again? Billy knew by now that nothing would ever come from his ill-advised crush on Teddy Altman. He had tried, again and again though, showing his interest, being there for him, but it obviously wasn't enough. Sometimes it had seemed like it was. They could be so close one moment before the other pushed him away in the next. 

Billy always came back, though. He couldn't stay away from the other boy. Teddy was charming, kind, beautiful, intelligent, and Billy was sure that Teddy didn't even realize how incredible he was... Teddy was magnetic and Billy was never able to pull away.  


Billy was just totally and utterly in love. Because of that, they met frequently, but seldomly alone. They most often met at their "base," which was what Kate called it...In reality it was nothing more than a dusty abandoned warehouse with two old sofas pushed in the center. It was theirs though. The team spent most of their time there and Billy and Teddy would sit there for hours and talk about comics and movies. In these moments, there were only Billy and Teddy. The other teammates were nothing but a buzz behind them. When they really met alone, though, it was intoxicating.  
The day that had changed everything, though, happened the week before. 

Teddy's hand had reached for Billy's face to push one of his unruly strands of hair behind his ear. Billy had let out a soft breath, and Teddy had gotten close, so close, angling his face and tipping up Billy's chin. Their breaths mingled between them, and Billy had looked into soft, beautiful eyes that had focused on the sorcerer's lips. Before their lips could meet, though, Teddy had pulled away, apologized and excused himself, leaving Billy alone in the dark of his room.  


They didn't talk about the next time they saw each other, which happened to be the day of this particular mission. Billy had been anxious all weekend, hoping for Teddy to explain himself, but when the boy arrived, he had been his usual kind self and had decidedly ignored any possibility of talking to Billy in a moment of privacy.

Billy forced himself to concentrate. His heart had been shattered already; he wouldn't ask him out anymore. Teddy Altman was too good for him, and it hurt incredibly. It was just one more shitty thing in Billy Kaplan's life...what else was new.  


He pushed all of it aside as he summoned a shielding barrier that prevented one of the approaching machines to hit Tommy in the jaw.  


His brother looked up in begrudging appreciation and opened his mouth to call something undoubtedly crude at Billy to thank him in his own weird way, but the wizard's expression forced the speedster into silence.  
"Lil bro, are you okay? "He said silently, just loud enough to be heard over the fighting robots.  
Billy opened his mouth to reply when the sound of an approaching Shield-Hovercraft stopped them in their tracks.  


"The Avengers?! "

Billy was still gaping at the craft and forcing himself not to hyperventilate when the doom bot next to him was decapitated by Captain America's shield.  
It returned to its owner immediately, who saluted in Billy's direction. Needless to say, Billy had to actively force himself not to swoon.

The Battle descended into pure chaos from then on. Most of the original core of the Avengers seemed to have joined the party. Hammers were thrown, lightning struck from the sky, shields crashed into metal, arrows flew in wild arrays, rubble was thrown, and energy blasts penetrated robots.  


As the initial hype had died down, Billy made a point of generally avoiding Hulkling entirely. It would destroy the concentration he was desperately holding on to, and he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his idols.

The battlefield was now littered with the machines' husks, and more and more blank spots were visible in between the once intact line of robots, which the heroes naturally would use to their advantage. So it came as no surprise that Billy was suddenly close to none other than the God of Thunder himself.

Wanting to impress the god who was one of his childhood crushes, Billy summoned more of the magical energy flowing through his veins and let it soak into his wooden staff. Quietly he began chanting, as not to make Thor question his sanity, all the while imagining what he wanted his powers to do. An image struck in his mind of another childhood hero of his...perfect!

"YOUSHALLNOTPASSYOUSHALLNOTPASSYOUSHALLNOTPASS!!! "  


His last repetition was a shout, and with that, Billy pushed the staff into the ground forcefully, sending out waves of blue lighting that impacted most of the enemies surrounding the aspiring hero and his idol. Thor looked around as if he had just now registered the young man next to him.  


Billy gave him a shy wave, supporting himself on his staff since the spell had used up most of his remaining energy.  
"That was an act of pure valor, my friend! "Thor called out, his voice gruff and deep.  
"Oh, that? T-That was nothing! "Billy said, waving nonchalantly, even though he knew that had been a hell of a lot more than nothing.  


Absently he noted something big and green walking in the distance behind Thor, but he decidedly didn't pay it any mind.  


"On the contrary," Thor returned gravelly, "that was an impressive feat of strength. Even Odin would have honored your display of strength."  
Billy blushed furiously. That was so going in his nonexistent diary later. He opened his mouth to return something, but Thor spoke on and got even closer.  


"Are you from Vallhallah?" the god suddenly asked, "because your beauty is not from this realm." Thor inquired lowly as he let his eyes roam over Billy's body, who blushed in a dark pink at the blatant interest in the hero's gaze and the terrible pick up line.  


"All jokes aside," Thor said then, obviously pleased with Billy's reaction, "Have we, by any chance, crossed paths before? Your armor is similar to my own. Is it of Asgardian origin?"  


Billy nodded, incapable of building coherent sentences because of the flustered state of shock he was in. His suit was basically Asgardian; he had modeled it as closely after Thor's rune designs as possible.  


"I should have guessed that you're an Asgardian. Your prowess and might have already revealed your spirit to me," Thor rumbled.  


Billy wanted to inject that he wasn't, in fact, from Asgard, but Thor's gaze was still on him, slow, judging, and it really felt to Billy like Thor was checking him out, so he stayed silent. The possibility of this even happening would have his teenager-self jump in excitement, but now Billy could only see it as a small victory since he had long since hoped that Teddy would be the one to show interest in him.

As if on cue, Teddy was coming into their vicinity, throwing a giant piece of rubble onto one of the remaining doom bots before he turned to look at Thor and Billy. At that moment, Thor spoke up again, a wry grin on his face as he stepped into Billy's space.  


"What a lucky twist of fate that we meet up on this realm then, but I would surely remember a warrior as dazzling as you." Billy blushed darkly at the compliment, feeling the heat of Thor's muscular body seeping into his own. The god smelled heavenly, pun intended a mix of clean sweat, musk, and something that must have been the man's own natural scent. For alack of a better word, it was intoxicating.  


"Is there any chance," Thor asked deeply, more a growl than a sentence, "that you conjured up that spell of yours to impress upon me?"  


"I-I did." was Billy's meek reply, and Thor chuckled darkly. Before Billy could catch his breath, the god came impossibly closer; Billy had to look up to meet his eyes. He was big, so big that he would likely even dwarf Teddy, who Billy definitely wasn't thinking about right now when his idol was standing directly in front of him...nope, not a chance.  


"And what did you seek to accomplish with your successful attempt to catch my interest?" Thor rumbled, "because you definitely have caught my eye."  
Before Billy could let out a flustered reply, a piece of rubble that looked like one half of a small house just narrowly missed Thor's head.  


Billy whipped around, already feeling the eyes of Teddy on him before he saw them staring at him. Hulkling was breathing hard, only a small distance away from them, his hands still in the air as his green skin rippled from the effort of throwing the piece of debris.  


Their eyes met, and Teddy looked...sad? Dejected?  
It must have been only in his imagination, and Billy couldn't say that he particularly cared at the moment. His attention was swept away from Teddy as he heard a resounding chuckle that resonated in his own chest because of the proximity.  


Thor looked into Teddy's direction as well, a forbearing smile playing on his lips as he guided one muscular arm around Billy's waist, but letting it loose enough for Billy to get out of the grip if he wanted to.  


"Young Hulk, I would advise you to be more careful next time. A bit of sparring with your fellow companions should aid you in improving to actually hit your intended target, or you could hit someone you do not mean to hurt."  


"I meant what I did, alright." Teddy scowled at the hero, his usual sunny demeanor was gone from his handsome features. It was especially strange since Teddy was just as nerdy and fanboyish about the Avengers as Billy himself.  


"Ahhh, the gift of youth." Thor returned, still smiling, but there was an edge to it now that Billy had never heard from the man before.  


Teddy only snuffed at the god and focused on Billy, hurt in his eyes. He looked betrayed and incredibly small for his hulking stature.

Suddenly, Billy realized that Thor had started talking to him again, tightening the hold around his waist, no doubt emboldened by the fact that the younger man hadn't pulled away. 

"...all we return to where we left off, my dashing warrior?"  


The god must have noticed the gaze Hulkling was giving him because he angled himself to shield Billy from the view of the other.  


"What was the reason you desired to leave your impression on me, Asgardian?" Thor repeated now with urgency, mirroring their conversation before Teddy had interrupted them.  


Billy should have focused on Thor, but all his attention was drawn to Teddy and the defeated look in his eyes. Teddy looked back at him, his silver earrings shining in the sunlight.  


Billy had no idea why Teddy looked so dejected at the moment. The only thing he knew was that this moment between them felt significant; he couldn't say why. 

But Billy didn't actually care at the moment, because a not so small part of him felt betrayed and angry about the way Teddy had treated him after his unexplained exit. He wanted to make Teddy feel that way too, so Billy smiled sweetly at Thor's words, aware of the fact that it didn't even remotely reach his eyes.  


"I used my power to impress and...ehhhhm....c-court you, God of Thunder“ Billy said finally, trying to sound as Shakespearian as he could.  


"My, my, I'd say it worked fabulously then. Consider me wooed," Thor rumbled into his ear, his breath ghosting over the part of Billy's slender neck that wasn't hidden beneath the wings of his tiara.  


"What would you answer if I offered to take you for a stroll through the gardens of the Asgardian palace?" Thor said then, his hands creeping lower on Billy's body.  


"Gladly. There's no one I'd rather be with than you." Billy exclaimed loudly. His words were targeted at Thor, but his eyes were only on Teddy. With a colorful flash of light, Billy Kaplan and Thor were gone, the only trace of them are runes etched into the ground.  


Teddy couldn‘t stop the scream that escaped his lungs as the hurt he was feeling mixed into the anger. When he came to his senses again, he felt more than saw that he had smashed the remaining robots with his bare claws.

Billy was gone, and Teddy wasn‘t with him...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy talks to Teddy. Realizations are had and Teddy sets off to find Billy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos. I really appreciate each and every one of them :) It doesn’t cost you anything and it makes my day.   
> Feedback is appreciated!

Hulkling wandered around the now relatively quiet battlefield. His feet that made contact with a doom bot on every step crunched the durable metal without any effort.

The buildings in the street where the battle had taken place looked worse for wear. Big chunks had been ripped from the unbelievably high skyscrapers. Rubble and debris surrounded him. Teddy felt small as he looked at the destruction around him. Not far from Time-Square, this street was usually crowded, filled with life, but now it was empty, except for the remaining heroes and the destroyed robots.

The street, even the sky that had turned grey from the smoke that had erupted because of the battle, looked dull. Teddy felt a pang of hopelessness. He didn’t feel this ache because of the destruction around him; it all would be repaired faster than you would guess since New York City had become somewhat accustomed to havoc and chaos.  
No, Teddy felt so hopeless because he had lost something important, and it had been his own damn fault.

If he thought about it too long, he probably would start crying, and he could not do that...not in front of Captain America.

He looked down at the ground, thinking of the way Billy had looked at him. At first, Billy had been so excited to see him again, but when Teddy, the coward that he was, hadn’t brought up the events of the week before, Billy had looked crushed.

And when Thor had taken him away, Billy had looked defiant, as if he wanted Teddy to do something, anything, but he had no chance to go against a literal god turned Avenger.

Teddy groaned loudly as the realization hit him, that Billy was gone, that he had finally given up on the failure that was one Teddy Altman.

He kicked a robot angrily, head still turned to the ground. The telltale sound of smashing glass and the piercing sound of a security system told Teddy that he had misjudged his strength.

This sort of aggression and anger had long since not been a part of him anymore, not since he had walked away from Greg...

His brooding thoughts were interrupted as Tommy came to a halt in front of him. It took a second for Tommy to stop vibrating from the energy coursing through his body. Teddy used the moment to calm himself down and shifted his troubled expression into one of indifference...Thank you, powers.

“What’s got your panties in a twist, sunny boy?” Tommy said smugly, pointing to the car that Teddy had crashed with the kicked robot as he used his hands to comb through his silvery hair.

“Nothing,” was Teddy’s grumbling reply. He didn’t want to talk. The only thing he wanted to was going home and crying over the fact that he had finally lost the chance for the only good thing in his life.

“Okayyy...” Tommy drawled out. “I’m just going to ignore your strange emo phase right now and ask what I want to know: Where’s Kaplan at?” 

“I haven’t seen my idiot brother since he may or may not have saved me from a robot.” Tommy said quickly, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“He’s not here,” Teddy returned shortly. He didn’t want to explain where Billy had gone. Not when it was his own freaking fault that Billy wasn’t there with him in the first place.

“What do you mean, he’s not here?” Tommy said incredulously, looking up at Teddy with big eyes behind his orange lenses. 

“Usually, I have to use a crowbar to pry you two idiots apart, and the Avengers are here. Billy worships the ground they’re walking on.” 

“There’s no way he is not here. So, where is he?”Tommy closed, obviously annoyed with Teddy’s silence.

“He’s gone,” Teddy replied then, hurt mixing into his voice and maybe a hint of frustration that Billy had chosen someone else. But Teddy immediately shook away the thought. He had kept Billy at arm’s length. It was better this way...Teddy was not a good guy, and Billy would be happier with a great guy like Thor.

Tommy must have heard the inflection of hurt in his voice because he suddenly became jitterish.

“What do you mean, Altman? Is Kaplan alright?”

Teddy nodded, remembering the smile Billy had given Thor before the god had teleported them away. He had seemed more than alright.

“Is he hurt?” Tommy thundered, anger and - was that concern- drawing his white brows together.

Teddy just shook his head. Billy wasn’t hurt; he was probably safer than anyone else since he was under the protection of Thor. God, Billy had been so beautiful, all flushed and excited as Thor had enclosed him in his arms.

“Altman, get your shit together!” Tommy screamed suddenly, looking at Teddy with fire in his eyes.

“I don’t want to play Jeopardy with you! It’s already bad enough that I have to thank Kaplan for saving me. So just tell me where the fuck my little brother is!” 

Like Billy and then not, the smaller boy stood tall in front of Teddy, pushing his pointer finger into Teddy’s chest, the speedster’s molecules vibrating because of the barely repressed energy.

“Thor’s showing him a whole new world on a magic bifröst ride or something equally shitty as that.” Teddy replied finally, a pang of jealousy clawing at his heart as he imagined Thor being all happy with Billy.

Tommy, who had looked like he was about to punch Teddy seconds before, now looked at him with an expression of disgusted confusion.

“What the hell does that even mean, you fucking nerd? Use normal people words, please.” Tommy growled, the uncertainty of Billy’s state making him snarl in nervous anticipation.

“What it means,” Teddy said slowly, ”is that Thor has taken Billy with him for some sort of magical date.”

Teddy hadn’t realized that his last words had turned into a shout of rage, hurt, and angry frustration. The remaining heroes that had been standing in a decent distance looked at him in surprise.

“Man, you’re weird,” was the only thing Tommy said at first while making clear to the other Avengers that everything was alright.

Teddy looked at him with teary eyes as the hilarity of the plain-spoken statement cooled down his boiling emotions.

“I was wondering when my idiot brother would finally get over you and find someone else,” Tommy spoke matter-of-factly, acting like he was picking dirt from one of his gloved fingernails. Teddy gaped at him, his anger returning with a vengeance.

“Never would have guessed it would be with a full-fledged god, though! Kudos to him there,” Tommy chuckled, wiping away an imaginary tear.

“How’s it feel knowing that he finally has grown intelligent enough to get away from you?” the speedster said then, contempt filling his voice. “I know how you were toying with him all the time. Last week was a low blow, mate.”

Teddy deflated. He should have guessed that Billy would have told someone about last week...about their almost kiss...before Teddy had fucked everything up...like always.

But Tommy was right; there was no denying that Teddy had been playing with Billy. He had let they boy get closer to him before he had pushed him away again. But it was not because it was fun to tease the boy he had grown to care for so much, but because he couldn’t help himself. 

Teddy knew that the best thing would have been to stay far away from Billy, but Billy was so funny, sweet, compassionate, and kind that no matter how hard Teddy had tried, he just couldn’t stay away. Billy understood him so wholly that it sometimes puzzled him. Every reference he put out there, Billy returned and tagged on one of his own that completed Teddy’s original thought.

When Teddy wanted to talk about something, Billy was always there, giving him all his attention and trying to understand his point.  
It was electrifying and intoxicating to be so understood. Billy got who he was, or more, who he wanted to be. 

“You’re right,” Teddy said after a long moment, a sad smile playing on his lips.

“Damn right, I am!” Tommy returned, arms crossed over his chest.

It was honestly endearing to Teddy how much Tommy cared about Billy’s well-being, primarily when the speedster always acted like he couldn’t care less about anyone or anything.

“Billy is so much better than me, and I don’t deserve him.” Teddy said then, his voice trembling, now that his feelings were out in the open.

“So you are gay for Kaplan? Why all this drama then?” Tommy questioned, pointing to the sky as if Billy and Thor were floating just above them. 

“Lil bro has waited so long for you to get up your ass and ask him out, but you didn’t!” 

“It’s... I’m sorry, Tommy. I can’t talk about it!”

It was one thing to lose Billy, but it was another thing to lose this team he had now been a part of for years.  
If they knew what kind of person he had been before Nate had found him, they wouldn’t want him in their group anymore. And this group was the only thing that he had left after he had lost Billy.

“You don’t need to tell me, Altman, but I think Billy deserves an explanation after the shit you pulled on him. You broke his nerdy little heart.” 

“I’m so sorry. I never intended to do that. I only want him to be happy,” Teddy sighed dejectedly and pointed to the runes on the ground. “And he is now, so everything’s...how it should be.” 

“How dense can you get, big, green and dumb?” the speedster spat out. “Billy is many things, but he sure as hell isn’t happy right now!” 

“What do you mean? He’s away with Thor and...” Teddy began, but Tommy interrupted him.

“He doesn’t care about freaking Thor, even though I wish he would because there seems to way less drama involved than with you.” 

“Kaplan has been head over heels in fucking love with you for two years, Altman. And if I only know one thing about my idiot brother it’s that he’s a loyal little prick. He couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Thor with you still in the picture.” Tommy finished, his anger having forced his molecules in a state of constant vibration. 

He was more of a blur than a person at that point, and Teddy would feel nauseous if he had any eyes for Tommy at the moment, but the speedsters’s words had him fumbling for an answer of his own.

“You’re not serious, are you?” Tommy deadpanned, correctly interpreting Teddy’s forlorn and longing look at the revelation. Now Tommy looked ready to strangle Teddy on the spot. 

“Of course he is in love with you, you dumbfuck, and I question his sanity the more we waste time with this conversation.” 

“You’re wrong, though,” Teddy sighed resignedly, “He’s off with Thor.”

“Do I have to spell everything out for you?!” Tommy shouted. “He’s off with tall, blonde, and muscly to make you jealous and go after him!”

“They way that I see it, it’s easy!” Tommy said then, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to calm his agitation.

“You’re gay for Kaplan, and Kaplan is gay for you. So do something before it’s too late.” 

Teddy trembled. He wanted to do something. He wanted to be with Billy, but he couldn’t. He would destroy him like he destroyed everything else.

“I-I c-can’t.” Teddy whispered, and his hands began trembling. “I’m not a good guy, and I don’t want Billy to get caught up in all of my problems. I’m a terrible person Tommy, I did so many bad things.” 

“You? “Tommy questioned, eyebrows raised. “You’re the poster-child sunny boy. Everybody likes you, not me, of course, because you’re always so polite and all smiles.” 

“I’m not all that!” Teddy recoiled. “Or I wasn’t all that for a long time.”

Teddy sighed as he let himself fall onto a piece of shrapnel gracelessly.  
The truth was bound to come out sooner or later. This team that he was apart of was a team of heroes that did everything in their power to save other people. And Teddy wasn’t a hero like them; he had done so many bad things when he had been blinded by Greg’s fake niceness and the feeling to belong to something/someone, no matter the cost.

“Before I joined the team,” Teddy began, “I had a…friend. Before I met him, I was Nothing. Nobody cared for me, and everyone acted like I was invisible.  
Greg, though, didn’t and took me under his wing. I don’t know why he did it; I guess he saw how desperate and lonely I was and took his chance.” 

“And just like that, I had friends and was invited to parties. I was part of the basketball-team and worked out with them. It felt incredible, and I adored Greg for it, but then he asked me to prove our friendship.”

Teddy looked at Tommy, who had sat down beside him, his feet dangling in the air. He wished that Billy was here, that he could hear and understand why Teddy had rejected him. 

“And, I don’t know, I guess I was in love with him then, but now I know Billy and what I felt back then wasn’t love...I showed him my powers because I trusted him, and he asked me to prove that I was worthy of being friends with him, and I did what he asked. I transformed myself into famous people and acted like them to convince people to do stuff for Greg. To me, it was a small price to keep what I had gained, but he always wanted more.” 

“We started robbing places, and I enjoyed it, this feeling of power and adoration from my other friends. I began drinking and smoking, and we robbed people more and more frequently. I didn’t feel like myself anymore.”

“Greg then decided that small crimes weren’t enough for him anymore, and he wanted me to raid the Avengers-Mansion. We fought, and I refused. Nate found me at the mansion, crying and lost.”

“I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t found me. But from that point on, I was invisible to everyone again, everyone but Billy. And I tried so hard to better myself, but it still doesn’t change what I was and what I did.” 

Teddy stopped. Tears were running down his face, and he was full on shivering now. Subconsciously he must have transformed back because the hands that he used to wipe away his tears were pink.

Tommy was still silent, looking at Teddy with an unreadable expression.

“This is why I can’t be with Billy. He’s good and kind and sweet…And I’m not, I don’t deserve someone like him after what I did.” 

“What makes you think that he cares about that stuff?” Tommy spoke up then and put a hand on Teddy’s shoulder.

“Look who you’re speaking to, Altman. I don’t know what Billy saw in me and what made him accept me immediately. But he did, the shit I did before, the stuff I was put into Juvie for, it didn’t matter to him. He believed in me. Why would it be different with you?” 

“You’re a good person Tommy, “Teddy sniffed, “But I liked what I did, at first…I hurt so many people with my bullshit.” 

“Are you sorry for what you did?” Tommy said then, ignoring Teddy’s words.

“Yes! Please, Tommy, you have to believe me!” Teddy returned desperately.

“Then the way I see it is pretty clear.” Tommy stated, jumping up from his spot.  
“You were so far up in your emo like self hate spiral because of mistakes you made with that asshole in your high school that you missed that you became a good person and hero.”

“But…”

“We all think you’re a good guy, except me, of course, and Kaplan trusts you completely.”

“But he doesn’t know who I…” Teddy argued again because Billy would never love a bad guy like him if he knew who he had been

“Do you trust Billy?” Tommy interrupted.

“Of course.” Teddy returned, smiling as he remembered Billy holding out his hands for him the first time they levitated together.

“Then trust him to know who you are now, not who you were a few fucking years ago.” 

“You’re right!” Teddy had so long been holding back his feelings for Billy. He had lived in the past and agonized over everything he’s done. But he had changed; he had become better. He was helping people now, instead of hurting them. Maybe he was worth of Billy’s love then, too.

“He’s with Thor now, though,” he said then, cursing that he hadn’t made his feelings clear to the younger boy sooner.

“Are you a fucking superhero, or not?” Tommy asked then, anger stealing itself into his voice again. “We have a million friends that can bring you to Asgard. The only question is if you’re ready to get up your ass and do something!”

“I will get to Billy and tell him how I feel!” Teddy returned, pushing himself from the debris.

“That’s more like it!” Tommy whooped. “Don’t tell Kaplan that we had this talk. I don’t want him to get any ideas that I like him.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. And thank you!” Teddy returned earnestly.

He shifted into his Hulkling-form and spread out his wings.  


“I’m coming, Billy.” He thought to himself, and the thought of Billy alone made him smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and leave kudos. I really appreciate each and every one of them :)


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